People say that pregnant women should
not eat carrots because they contain vitamin A and could induce malformations
in the baby. Is this true? Doctors say no. Carrots are OK, but the vitamin
supplements can be a factor.

Vitamin
A is an important essential nutrient that you can get from certain foods
and in multivitamins and supplements. In doses well over 10,000 units per
day, vitamin A has been found to induce foetal malformations of the face and
heart, and other problems. And in experimental animals, retinoids -- including
vitamin A -- have produced defects involving the central nervous system,
limbs and cardiovascular system, and behavioural
abnormalities.

Vegetables such as carrots contain provitamin
A compounds called carotenoids, the most common of which is beta-carotene.
When you eat carrots, your body converts only as much beta-carotene into
vitamin A as it needs, so eating even a lot of beta-carotene-rich carrots
will not increase the level of vitamin A in your blood.

The average healthy diet will not
significantly raise your vitamin A level. But certain supplements contain
much more than the safe daily dose limit of 10,000 international units (IU).
If you take too much vitamin A in supplement form, or by ingesting certain
foods that contain large amounts of it, such as liver, you could raise your
blood level to the unhealthy range.

Most pre natal vitamin supplements contain
4,000 IU to 5,000 IU of vitamin A, which is about twice the recommended daily
allowance (RDA) and less than half the safe maximum dose of 10,000
IU.

You could easily top 10,000 IU per day
if you take additional supplements of high-dose vitamins or if you regularly
eat liver, which contains on average of four to 12 times the RDA for vitamin
A. Enriched foods such as fortified cereals or dairy products may also contain
large doses of vitamin A.

To keep from ingesting too much vitamin
A, avoid supplements that are enriched with it before and during pregnancy,
except for the prenatal vitamins recommended by your doctor or
midwife.

Taken in wine, or boiled in wine and taken,
the seeds help conception. Strangely enough the seeds made into a tea have
been used for centuries as a contraceptive. Even the well-known fifth century
physician/herbalist, Hippocrates prescribed it as an abortifacient. When
herbal lore such as this survives the test of time, there is a good chance
there is some truth behind
it.
Click
here to read more.

Wondercup Breast
Cream - Many women use
"Wondercup" breast cream. Carrot was chosen
as a chief ingredient of wondercup because: " It contains components with
estrogenic activities, most notably beta carotene, which, like all
phytoestrogens, is a substance similar to female hormones, and therefore
able to regulate their production in the body, thus stimulating the natural
development of the breast, the main receptor of estrogens in the female
body."
This property is confirmed by the traditional use of carrot as a stimulant
to the production of mother's milk - indeed it acts on the breast by promoting
the development of the mammary glands.

Cosmetic use - Carrot has been regarded by the ancient
healers as the 'herbal healer' of skin diseases. Indeed Vitamin A or
betacarotene, of which carrot is rich, can be considered the main vitamins
for the skin. Dry skin, with impurities, acne, difficulty in tanning, sunburns,
eritema, premature appearance of wrinkles - all these things can depend largely
on an insufficient intake of this vitamin.

Carrot is therefore very useful for the
skin for its properties:

Anti-inflammatory,
revitalizes and tones the skin. Used to treat dermatitis, eczema, rashes,
as well as wrinkles (for its antioxidant properties which fight the damage
to tissues caused by free radicals). Used also to promote the healing of
cuts, abrasions and stubborn sores. Carrot seed diluted in wheatgerm oil
is recommended as a suntan lotion. It is indeed used in some suncare lotions
on the market. The underground part of carrot has anti-asthenic and
anti-inflammatory properties and fights psoriasis.

Eye care - From early childhood
we are taught to eat carrots to improve our eyesight. Carrot brings relief
of eyestrain and inflammation of the eyes.

Nourishing - Carrot promotes healthy skin and is beneficial
to areas of the skin that are regularly exposed to the sun and tend to blister
and peel.

Moisturising - Carrot aids in
repair of skin tissue and helps in the treatment of dry, chapped and scaling
skin conditions.

The fresh root, finely chopped, can be
used as a beauty mask for the face.

Beware during
motherhood

People say that pregnant women should
not eat carrots because they contain vitamin A and could induce malformations
in the baby. Is this true? Doctors say no. Carrots are OK, but the vitamin
supplements can be a factor.

Vitamin
A is an important essential nutrient that you can get from certain foods
and in multivitamins and supplements. In doses well over 10,000 units per
day, vitamin A has been found to induce foetal malformations of the face and
heart, and other problems. And in experimental animals, retinoids -- including
vitamin A -- have produced defects involving the central nervous system,
limbs and cardiovascular system, and behavioural
abnormalities.

Vegetables such as carrots contain provitamin
A compounds called carotenoids, the most common of which is beta-carotene.
When you eat carrots, your body converts only as much beta-carotene into
vitamin A as it needs, so eating even a lot of beta-carotene-rich carrots
will not increase the level of vitamin A in your blood.

The average healthy diet will not
significantly raise your vitamin A level. But certain supplements contain
much more than the safe daily dose limit of 10,000 international units (IU).
If you take too much vitamin A in supplement form, or by ingesting certain
foods that contain large amounts of it, such as liver, you could raise your
blood level to the unhealthy range.

Most pre natal vitamin supplements contain
4,000 IU to 5,000 IU of vitamin A, which is about twice the recommended daily
allowance (RDA) and less than half the safe maximum dose of 10,000
IU.

You could easily top 10,000 IU per day
if you take additional supplements of high-dose vitamins or if you regularly
eat liver, which contains on average of four to 12 times the RDA for vitamin
A. Enriched foods such as fortified cereals or dairy products may also contain
large doses of vitamin A.

To keep from ingesting too much vitamin
A, avoid supplements that are enriched with it before and during pregnancy,
except for the prenatal vitamins recommended by your doctor or
midwife.

Taken in wine, or boiled in wine and taken,
the seeds help conception. Strangely enough the seeds made into a tea have
been used for centuries as a contraceptive. Even the well-known fifth century
physician/herbalist, Hippocrates prescribed it as an abortifacient. When
herbal lore such as this survives the test of time, there is a good chance
there is some truth behind
it.
Click
here to read more.

Carrots (for all consumers) are very useful for the
skin in the following areas:

Anti-inflammatory,
revitalizes and tones the skin. Used to treat dermatitis, eczema, rashes,
as well as wrinkles (for its antioxidant properties which fight the damage
to tissues caused by free radicals). Used also to promote the healing of
cuts, abrasions and stubborn sores. Carrot seed diluted in wheatgerm oil
is recommended as a suntan lotion. It is indeed used in some suncare lotions
on the market. The underground part of carrot has anti-asthenic and
anti-inflammatory properties and fights psoriasis.

Eye care - From early childhood
we are taught to eat carrots to improve our eyesight, technically they ARE good
for eye health. Amongst other things carrots brings relief
of eyestrain and inflammation of the eyes.

Nourishing - Carrot promotes healthy skin and is beneficial
to areas of the skin that are regularly exposed to the sun and tend to blister
and peel.

Moisturising - Carrot aids in
the repair of skin tissue and helps in the treatment of dry, chapped and scaling
skin conditions.

The fresh root, finely chopped, can be
used as a beauty mask for the face.

Weight
Management What is the secret to permanent weight
loss? If you want to lower your risk for chronic diseases, eat less! No books
to buy, no complex theories to unravel. Just eat moderate portions. Portion
control doesn't sell books, but it works. Most people believe that they gain
weight when they eat too much, because of heredity or because of ageing.
First, you have to understand what actually causes weight gain.
Find out the real reasons here.

Of the many health benefits of carrots, treating period pain efficiently
is a major one. One of the worst and annoying time for women every month
is when they are menstruating. It not just makes them uncomfortable but a
few of them also experience extreme pain, making it difficult to carry on
with their day-to-day activities. For such a condition carrots help
provide relief. Among the several health benefits of carrots, treating
period pain is a major one. The intensity of the pain may vary from one
woman to another.

A few of them have extreme pain, a few have mild pain while a few others
do not feel any pain at all. So what leads to this excruciating pain
during periods? When the uterus contracts to expel its lining while
menstruating, this leads to extreme pain in the lower abdomen. When the
pain gets unbearable women take painkillers. This might provide immediate
relief but popping in a painkiller every time you get the pain might not
be healthy. It can cause a lot of side effects. So for such a condition
natural remedies can help and carrot is one among them.

Here are a few reasons why women should make carrots a part of their diet
especially when they are on their periods. Take a look at the health
benefits of carrots and how to consume them.

1. Rich In Iron Content: Carrots are rich in iron content and are known to
make up for the blood loss during periods. It not just helps in easing the
pain but also helps to regularize the period flow.

2. Rich In Beta Carotene: One of the major contents in carrot is the beta
carotene. The beta carotene converts into vitamin A that is helpful in
controlling the blood flow and thus minimizes the pain.

3. Rich In Fibre: Carrots contain unique fibres that help in detoxifying
the body and ease the blood flow and pain during menstruation.

Ways to consume carrots when you have menstrual pain:

Carrot Juice: Take one or two fresh carrots, peel them, cut them into
pieces and then put them in a juicer and then blend them well. Drink this
juice twice a day. It helps ease menstrual pain.

Include Carrots In Salads: This helps ease the pain during your periods and also even if your cycle
is normal, adding carrots helps beat fatigue.

Eat Raw Carrots: If your period pain becomes unbearable, just take fresh
carrots, clean them properly and then chew the raw carrots. It helps ease
the pain. Also eating carrots can help in regularizing the blood flow.